The struggle is real

IF YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE READING, TOTALLY UNDERSTANDABLE. SCROLL DOWN AND WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW! :)

Hey guys, I just wanted to say that this semester has been real...and getting to see the people who just finished student teaching was terrifying and exciting at the same time, talk about emotionally confused!

On the panel... it was so cool to hear about teachers who went through the same program as us, what their expectations were, what the realities were, and their plentiful advice about teaching. What I found very interesting is how political the profession of teaching is, what we "should do" or "shouldn't do".

On this semester... I've learned so much about the process of teaching and planning. The 3 golden questions to ask: What are students interested in? What do they already know and how am I going to know this? And finally, what do they need to know and how am I going to get them there. My experiences this semester really showed me all of the roles that a teacher plays; researcher, observer, counselor, parent, entertainer, and of course, teacher. I feel that my views on teaching have become more realistic. This reality is nerve wracking yet exciting at the same time!

On that note, my parting thoughts are these...Stay true to your teaching philosophy (after all, it's what got you to start this program in the first place!) but stay true to it in a way that allows you to take in every experience flying your way, every encounter with a student, and use that to adapt and evolve for the better.

Thanks to Sarah Rutter for all the motivation, support, and time.

Thanks to Brenda for all of the helpful conferences and being an awesome partner.

Thanks to the whole class for being supportively critical about each others' work.

And thanks for all the great posts, bloggers! Here's a gift for you:

"The Struggle is Real" by Ramina and Natalia AKA RAMBO AND NATTY ICE.

A pre/post observation struggle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9ZKAkBK08I